Mayor John Tory officially ended the municipal state of emergency that had been in effect for 777 days, describing it as "a sign of the city returning to normal."

Tory announced this during a press conference outside Toronto City Hall on Monday morning. He said that although COVID-19

is not over yet, the cancellation of the emergency declaration represents "an important turning point" in the more than two-year battle against the virus.

"We are on the right track, but I think we have to remind ourselves every day that this is not over yet, so we continue doing the work."

"But I think the level of tension and the acute nature of the pandemic have somewhat decreased and allow us to have days like today where we can lift the state of emergency while continuing to put the same effort into things like vaccination."

Tory also said the official emergency declaration on March 23, 2020, gave the city additional flexibility regarding employment, ultimately allowing more than 1,700 of its workers to be temporarily reassigned to help support vaccination efforts and maintain vital services.

As part of this transition, the Toronto Health Board will meet on May 16 to vote on a proposal to make the local vaccination campaign a permanent program, provided additional funding is provided by the province.

"The declaration indicated our determination to fight COVID-19 with everything we have, and now, after two years, one month, and 17 days, and after more than seven doses of the vaccine, there is no doubt that our collective efforts have succeeded in bringing us somewhat safely to shore."

Tory added in his statement, "I want people to understand that by lifting the city's state of emergency, we are not ending our fight against COVID. We know that COVID-19 is still active in the city and that the work we have been doing will not stop."

In her remarks to reporters on Monday, De Villa described COVID-19 as a "public health crisis."

She said about the decision to end the municipal state of emergency: "This is not a signal that we can abandon our caution when it comes to COVID-19."